Ladder bracket with paint bucket holder



June 18, 1963 R. LINDER, JR 3,

I LADDER BRACKET WITH PAINT BUCKET HOLDER Filed March 29. 1961 Robert L/hder, J:

IN VEN TOR.

/0 A BY gy 3 United States Patent 3,094,304 LADDER BRACKET WITH PAINT BUCKET HOLDER Robert Linder, In, 321 Glendale Ave., Tomah, Wis. Filed Mar. 29, 1961, Ser. No. 99,152 3 Claims. (Cl. 248211) This invention relates to a paint =bucket holder and bracket combination wherein the holder constitutes an adapter and is detachably bridled on a paint bucket or can, the bracket being constructed to be hooked over a rung on a ladder, the bracket being unique in that it is linked to the adapter in a highly desirable manner.

A structure characterized by analogous component parts; namely, a ladder bracket and a bucket holder is revealed in a patent to one Schaller, 2,448,628. If reference is had to the Schaller patent it will be observed that the bracket and adapter constitute a oneapiece construction which is greatly limited if one desires to shift and suspend the paint bucket from one side of the ladder to the other side thereof for more convenient access to the paint in the bucket. Other prior patents, which need not be listed here, rely upon equally objectionable structural limitations. It follows that the instant concept has, as one of its objectives, a more universal type construction and arrangement of parts which, as will be hereinafter revealed, provide a more versatile paint bucket hanger construction.

In carrying out the principles of the present invention two highly novel units are employed. First, the unit which is bridled or harnessed on the bucket to serve as an adapter is novel. This unit is made up of but three parts, namely, an elongated J-shaped bolt, a wing nut on the threaded shank and a novel hook-shaped cleat. 'Dhe hook end of the bolt is engaged with the bottom of the bucket and the threaded shank extends through a hole provided therefor in a novel hook-shaped cleat.

Further novelty is predicated on the unique ladder bracket. This comprises a threaded shank with a hook to engage over a run, the shank being screwed into a screw threaded socket provided therefor in one limb of a substantially L-shaped link. The other limb is threaded and detachably and adjustably joined to the aforementioned cleat.

The present invention is being experimentally used and has proved out to be a highly desirable advance in the art. It can be said, in this connection, that the overall adaptation is simple, practical, novel, easy to apply, adjust and otherwise handle and aptly serves the purposes herein under advisement. These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently ap parent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being bad to the accompanying drawing forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a view in perspective showing a fragmentary portion of a conventional painters ladder, showing a conventional paint bucket and, what is more important, showing the units which go to make up the present ladder bracket and paint bucket holder combination;

FIGURE 2 is a view in section and elevation and fragm-entarily presented and which is taken on the plane of the vertical line 2-2 of FIGURE 1 looking in the direction of the arrows; and

FIGURE 3 is an exploded perspective view showing significant parts.

The ladder is conventional and comprises spaced parallel vertical stiles or rails 4 and 5 join-ed by horizontal rungs 6. Because of the construction which is herein utilized the paint bucket 8 may be hung or suspended from the lefthand rail seen in FIGURE 1. Also by shifting the bracket and rearranging the adapter or holder as depicted in phantom lines the bucket can be shifted over and suspended conveniently alongside the righthand rail 5. The very essence of the invention is found in the herein revealed ladder bracket and paint bucket adapter combination.

With further reference to FIGURE 2 the bottom of the bucket A is denoted at 10, the lid accommodating flange or annulus is denoted at 12 and the bead at 14. Taking up first the paint bucket holder this is more specifically referred to here as a readily attachable and detachable adapter. It comprises an elongated J-shaped or book bolt. The shank of the bolt is denoted at 16 and the hook, at the lower end is denoted at 18 and this hook is engaged over the bottom bead 20 in the manner illustrated. The screw-threaded upper end 22 of this bolt extends through a hole 24 (FIG. 3) provided therefor in the hooked portion 26 of the cleat 28. The depending arm 30 of the cleat has a screw-threaded hole 32 provided therein. This hole serves to accommodate a screwthreaded end portion 34 on a horizontal limb 36 of the aforementioned L-shaped link 38. This link constitutes a significant part of the overall ladder bracket. More specifically the vertical limb of the link denoted at 40 has an axial screw-threaded socket 42 to accommodate the detachable and adjustable screw-threaded end portion 44 of the shank 46 carried by the hook 48. This book 48 is engaged over either end of the rung in the manner shown. The bill of the hook may face rearwardly or forwardly depending on the manner in which one is using the in v-ention. In either instance the screw-threaded socket and shank 42 and 44 provides not only a separable connection between the hook and link 38 but a swivel connection too. In other words the L-shaped link can be angled in such a way that it is in proper relationship with the hook and the hook may be securely seated on the rung. The screw-threaded arm or limb 36 is thus permitted to rest against the edge of the rail in the manner illustrated. In fact the limb extends beyond the outer side of the rail where its screw-threaded end 34 is joined with the arm 30 of the cleat 28. The bracket thus comprises two simple parts and the adapter three simple parts; namely, the hooked bolt, cleat and the thumb nut, said nut 23 being engaged with the screw-threaded end in the manner brought out in the drawing.

In practice, it will be clear that the J-shaped bolt 16 has its hooked end 18 engaged over the bottom bead 20 whereupon the apertured portion 24 of the cleat 28 is placed over the threaded end of the bolt and the hook is fitted over the lip or bead 14 as shown in FIGURE 2. Then applying the thumb nut the adapter is securely in place. Even after the cleat is in place the L-shaped link may be threadedly joined to the cleat after which the hook 48 can be joined with the link, there being sufficient variability and flexibility in this arrangement to increase the utility of the invention.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A paint bucket hanger for use on and in association with a ladder having vertical spaced parallel rails with horizontal rungs fixed therebetween comprising: an elongated J-shaped bolt having a shank with a nut-equipped upper end anda hook at the lower end, said hook being adapted to releasably engage over a bead on a paint bucket, an inverted J -shaped cleat removably and adjustably mounted on the nut-equipped upper end portion of said shank, said cleat having a hook which is designed and adapted to engage releasably over a bead on an upper portion of the paint bucket, also having a depending arm portion spaced outwardly from and being parallel to an adjacent upper outwardly disposed end portion of said shank, said arm portion having a screw-threaded hole therein in alignment with said end portion of the shank, and a ladder bracket having a screw-threaded end screwed into and through said screw-threaded hole, engaging said end portion and providing an adjustable separable connection between the bracket and arm, said bracket having a hook at an upper end thereof and said hook being adapted to engage over a rung of the ladder.

2. The structure defined in claim 1 and wherein said bracket is constructed of two companion parts, one part having a terminal hook at one end and a screw-threaded shank at the other end, the other part being substantially L-shaped and embodying vertical and horizontal limbs, the vertical limb having an axial socket, the screw-threaded shank of said hook being screwed into said socket, and

said horizontal limb terminating in the aforementioned screw-threaded end.

3. In combination, a paint bucket having top and bottom portions with outstanding marginal beads, an eloninverted J-shaped cleat complemental to said bolt, said cleat having a terminal hook portion engaging releasably over the bead at the top of the bucket, said hook portion being provided with a hole, the screw-threaded end of said shank extending upwardly through and beyond said hole and being equipped with a cleat assembling and clamping nut, said cleat having a depending shank portion spaced from and parallel to the upper end portion of said shank, said shank portion being provided with a screw-threaded hole in alignment with a cooperating non-threaded portion of said shank, and an attaching and suspending bracket for attachment to a rail and a rung of a painters ladder, said bracket being generally L-shaped in elevation and having a hook at one end to engage over the rung of the ladder and having its opposite end screw-threaded and screwed into and through the aforementioned screwthreaded hole and abutting an intended cooperating portion of said shank.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,593,043 Stroecker July 20, 1926 2,140,045 Bergstrom Dec. 13, 1938 2,448,628 Schaller Sept. 7, 1948 2,453,670 Persson Nov. 9, 1948 2,536,967 Thurgate Jan. 2, 1951 2,951,672 Bott Sept. 6, 1960 2,957,667 Kugher Oct. 25, 1960 2,999,571 Huber Sept. 12, 1961 OTHER REFERENCES 237,952 Germany Sept. 25, 1911 

1. A PAINT BUCKET HANGER FOR USE ON AND IN ASSOCIATION WITH A LADDER HAVING VERTICAL SPACED PARALLEL RAILS WITH HORIZONTAL RUNGS FIXED THEREBETWEEN COMPRISING: AN ELONGATED J-SHAPED BOLT HAVING A SHANK WITH A NUT-EQUIPPED UPPER END AND A HOOK AT THE LOWER END, SAID HOOK BEING ADAPTED TO RELEASABLY ENGAGE OVER A BEAD ON A PAINT BUCKET, AN INVERTED J-SHAPED CLEAT REMOVABLY AND ADJUSTABLY MOUNTED ON THE NUT-EQUIPPED UPPER END PORTION OF SAID SHANK, SAID CLEAT HAVING A HOOK WHICH IS DESIGNED AND ADAPTED TO ENGAGE RELEASABLY OVER A BEAD ON AN UPPER PORTION OF THE PAINT BUCKET, ALSO HAVING A DEPENDING ARM PORTION SPACED OUTWARDLY FROM AND BEING PARALLEL TO AN ADJACENT UPPER OUTWARDLY DISPOSED END PORTION OF SAID SHANK, SAID ARM PORTION HAVING A SCREW-THREADED HOLE 